The Color Red
by Minute Maid Apple Juice
Summary: Logan is back and things have changed. Jean and Scott are married, the Mansion has changed, and Rogue has moved on. Meanwhile Magneto has laid low for two years and finally is ready to strike. **FINISHED**
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. I only own the plot and any new characters. There. 


	2. Homecoming

She had looked so happy, the last time he had seen her. But that was two years ago. Who knows how much could have changed.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Logan pulled up to the tall, black gates of the Mansion that had been his home a little more then two years ago. He had never really realized how intimidating they were; yet in some weir way, they were comforting. Why did he ever leave this place?  
  
To answer that question, a part of his mind stepped in, you had left to search for his haunting past, but nothing solid ever turned up. You found document after document; you even found the name William Stryker, but whoever Stryker was, had covered his tracks well. All in all it had made the last two years worthless and now you are finally coming home.  
  
He grunted at the word. Home. For the first time, as long as he could remember, he actually had a place to come back to. It was a little too much like a crappy movie for his taste, but no one could argue with a solid roof over your head.  
  
He slowly pulled into the large garage and parked his -Scott's- bike. Once everything was in order, he headed towards the Professor's office.  
  
"Welcome back, Logan." Professor Charles Xavier announced as Logan entered the room.  
  
"Hello Wheels."  
  
"Its nice to see you after all this time. Did you find anything?"  
  
"Why do you ask questions in which you already know the answer?"  
  
Xavier stiffened at the comment, but then smiled.  
  
"Hey, Professor, I was wondering if you could....oh, hello Logan."  
  
Logan slowly turned around to find Scott, of all people, standing there, at the doorframe, with Jean at his side.  
  
"Hello, Assmonkey." Logan calmly replied. He had wanted to call him that for so long.  
  
"Cute. Did you stay up all night thinking up that one?"  
  
Instead of flipping Scott the finger, he turned his attention to Jean.  
  
"Are you sure your gift wasn't to put up with him?'  
  
Her lips curled at the old joke and broke out into a smile.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder." She replied.  
  
"Well if you weren't sure, then why did you marry me?" Scott asked in a joking matter to her, but it was clear that he stressed last two words on purpose.  
  
Logan noticed after a while that he wasn't breathing.  
  
"Come again?"  
  
Before he could get an answer they were interrupted again.  
  
"Professor, did you find those documents I had wanted?" an all too familiar voice asked.  
  
"Yes, I did, Rogue. They are on my desk." Xavier said. A slow smile was creeping on his face.  
  
"Marie?" Logan asked in total shock.  
  
The woman who stood before him was not the little girl he had left behind. She, indeed, had changed. Her waist long hair trickled down her shoulders and the white streaks accented her dark brown eyes. She was wearing tight blue jeans with a black tee and a long gray sweater jacket. She had gray scarf coiled around her neck and black gloves covered her hands.  
  
A sparkle at her neck caught his eye. She was still wearing his dog tags.  
  
"Logan." She breathed.  
  
"I told you I'd come back."  
  
She rushed up and hugged him. He returned her hug. Logan noticed that her eyes were starting to get a little drippy.  
  
"Please don't." He whispered into her ear, "I never did like it when you cried."  
  
She sniffed and laughed wiping away her tears and smiled. She stepped back and looked him over. He was exactly the same only his hair was shaggier.  
  
"To think if you were gone for two years you'd get a new jacket." Scott commented from the door.  
  
Jean smacked him in the gut.  
  
"Glad to have you back." Jean said as she dragged her husband out the door.  
  
"We shall continue our conversation later, Logan. I think Rogue should show you to your rooms. It would be best for you two to catch up." Xavier said smoothly.  
  
"Ok, Professor." Rogue said, "I'll come back for the documents later."  
  
The Professor nodded as Rogue and Logan headed out the door.  
  
"Did you find anything? You were gone so long that we thought that something had to have came up." Rogue asked breaking the long silence.  
  
"I found nothing." Logan said.  
  
"It must be awful not to know your past."  
  
"Well you get used to it."  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked as Logan was heading towards a room.  
  
"To my room."  
  
"Oh. Uh that's not your room anymore."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, when Professor said that you weren't going to be back for a long time. I took the room."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"I was going to graduate early that year, top of my class; I couldn't very well sleep in the dormitories forever. Not with being a new teacher and all."  
  
"Teacher?"  
  
"Yes, of Ancient Civilizations. I had to get my own room. Seeing how yours was empty and it was the only one left on the ground floor, I moved in."  
  
"So were do I sleep?"  
  
"Directly above."  
  
Rogue turned to lead the way to his new room. The light in the hall shone on her and her hair seemed to have a red tint to it.  
  
"Did you die your hair?" Logan asked catching up to her.  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"It seems a little red."  
  
"Red?"  
  
"Only in the right lighting."  
  
"Really? I'll have to check that out."  
  
"Looks good on you."  
  
"The color red?"  
  
"Yeah. You need to wear color more."  
  
She laughed. "That's what Bobby keeps telling me."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"He's a good friend of mine. Well here's your room." She said stopping in front of a door.  
  
It was funny. Logan didn't even remember climbing up stairs.  
  
"We're upstairs?"  
  
"Yeah. All parts of the mansions have to be wheelchair accessible. We were walking up a slope."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"See you at dinner." She turned to leave.  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"My dog tags."  
  
"Oh!" She said taking it off, "Right."  
  
"Keep them. They look good on you."  
  
"I thought that it was the color red."  
  
"Everything looks good on you, kid. See you at dinner."  
  
A/N: How was that for a first attempt at an X-Men fic? This is just picking up where the movie left off. When X2 comes out, I'll pretend it never happened. (In this fic anyway.) Hope you liked it! 


	3. Bobby

After all the students had left the cafeteria the teachers moved in. Logan wasn't sure where to sit and figured that this is what high school must have felt like. He was drifting towards the table where Rogue sat alone, but recoiled when two giggly girls sat down at her table. After much internal debating he finally decided to sit with Jean and Him.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Jean asked.  
  
"Yeah. I found a burger and some fries, but the fries aren't much." Logan grunted biting into a hamburger.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Well I didn't find anything."  
  
"Professor said you did." Scott remarked sipping his soda.  
  
"It was just the name of some doctor."  
  
"At least it's a start."  
  
"But there's no trail. Can we not talk about this please?"  
  
"Marie! Sorry I'm late." A boy, barely a man, said as he walked in with his tray a food.  
  
Logan watched him walk over to Rogue's table.  
  
"Who's that? He's pretty brave for toughing out those other two girls."  
  
"Kitty and Jubilee? They're not my favorite pair, but they grow on you, I guess. Those four have been friends ever since you came here with Rogue. There may be wedding bells in the air." Scott commented.  
  
"What do you mean?" Logan asked.  
  
"You mean Rogue hasn't told you?"  
  
"Told me what?"  
  
"Scott." Jean caution.  
  
"Her and Bobby over there are getting pretty serious. They're even sharing a room together." Scott continued, ignoring Jean's warning. He seemed to enjoy the humor of this.  
  
But it wasn't funny.  
  
It wasn't funny at all.  
  
A/N: Short, I know, but this chapter is an example of impulse typing. I just finished watching 10 things I Hate About You (great movie) and I just plopped myself in front of the computer and spewed this puppy out. For those of you wondering, this will end up, in time, a L/M aka W/R. Don't get me wrong Bobby Drake aka Iceman portrayed by Shawn Ashmore (HOT!!!) is a top bloke to boot, but Logan and Marie are meant for each other. 


	4. Nightmares

Somewhere, Rogue couldn't tell where, but a heart was beating. Slowly at first, but as it got faster it got louder. A man was screaming in pain. She was suddenly in the air looking down at Magneto. Excruciating pain hummed in her mind. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her heart felt like it was on fire, slowly burning her from the inside out.  
  
Rogue sat up about to scream. Hyperventilating she looked around her to see that she was back in her room with Bobby sleeping soundly beside her. It was only just a nightmare. She needed to take a walk.  
  
She slipped out of bed as to not wake him and headed out of the door. She looked back on her snoring boyfriend and laughed to herself. Nothing could wake him up.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Logan tried to sleep, but he kept hearing Marie gasp and cry out below. Damn the stupid vent system. It was the stupid vent connection that had him nearly kill her once two years ago and now it was his turn to get speared in the chest, in a manner of speaking.  
  
He got up and put some sweatpants on over his boxers and threw on a white sleeveless shirt and headed down to see what was the matter.  
  
He saw her in the hallway hugging herself and looking pale. She was wearing black pajama pants and a tight, long sleeved black shirt. She was wearing black socks and black leather gloves. Her hair was strangely straight and perfect. Jest like her, he found himself thinking.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"You ware all that gear to bed?" He asked approaching her.  
  
"Yeah, it's so I don't accidentally kill Bobby in the middle of the night and plus he's a very cold guy to sleep next to."  
  
Logan felt and unusual ping of jealousy jab into his stomach. He pushed it aside when he saw her tear stained face.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You are a very bad liar."  
  
She looked up at him with watery eyes and before either one of them knew it she threw her arms around him and cried into his shirt.  
  
"I'm so scared." She sobbed.  
  
"What do you have to be scared about?" He asked hugging her back.  
  
"Magneto. I think he might have escaped."  
  
"What? Come on it was just a silly dream."  
  
"No. I don't think it was. Every person I've touched; my old boyfriend, you, and Magneto, a piece of everyone is inside me. I've seen things. Dream about them. They're real, I can feel it."  
  
Logan didn't know what to say. They just kept holding on to each other.  
  
"Do you think he still wants me?" She asked pulling away. She started to wipe away her tears.  
  
"It's hard to say, but you are safe here. He would be a fool to try and hurt you again."  
  
She looked up at him. "Thanks."  
  
"I mean it."  
  
"I know. What time is it any way?"  
  
Logan checked his watch. He always forgot to take it off. Thank God it was waterproof.  
  
"5:00."  
  
"No sense going back to sleep now."  
  
"Want to get something to eat?"  
  
"Lord knows I need it. Lets meet back here in ten minutes."  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
They turned to go back and dress trying to forget the issue at hand  
  
*~*~*  
  
Two years. Two long years, but it's over now. That is all that matters. The clawed one, Wolverine was it? He has feelings for the girl. Already a plan was formulating in his mind. Revenge is sweet. Especially when the girl will be yours forever in the end,  
  
A/N: Now my fic is starting to turn darker. Tell me if you like it. 


	5. Don't You Hate It When You're Always Rig...

They got back an hour later and much to their surprise, everyone was awake and waiting in the lobby.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Bobby rushed up to Rogue and engulfed her in a hug, careful not to touch her skin.  
  
"Oh, Marie! I woke up and you weren't there. Then Professor said.....where have you been?!"  
  
"Didn't you see my note? I was out with Logan for breakfast." She looked around at all of the solemn faces, "What's the matter?"  
  
At first no one spoke, but then the Professor stepped up.  
  
"Eric-Magneto has escaped; he's out for revenge. When you two were missing , we only thought the worst."  
  
Rogue swayed on her feet. Suddenly she didn't feel so good. She fell backwards and Logan rushed to catch her without a moment's hesitation. He and Bobby helped her to a sofa.  
  
"How?" Logan asked as he sat down beside Rogue after making sure she was all right. Bobby sat down on her other side.  
  
"A guard accidentally brought in metal. A pacemaker. It was all Magneto needed."  
  
Rogue's hands went to her chest as her dream flashed back to her.  
  
"Did the guard die?" She asked hoping that the answer wasn't what she thought it was.  
  
"Of heart failure. From now one you two are not to leave this mansion. It's for your own safety. Don't argue with me Logan, for I am not in the mood."  
  
Logan shut his mouth.  
  
"Classes will begin in two hours. Teachers do well to inform students of this matter and the new safety precautions. We will meet again below at 8:30 pm. You are all dismissed."  
  
For a minute Rogue wouldn't move, but only for a moment.  
  
"See you at lunch." She said to Bobby. To Logan she said, "See you around."  
  
She got off the sofa and walked towards her classroom. Bobby got of and left to go to his leaving Logan all alone deep in thought.  
  
A/N: Yeah, not much to say here. Updated. Next chapter is on the way. 


	6. The Questionable Question

"Miss Rogue, where does darkness come from?"  
  
It was at this question did Logan decide to slip into the classroom. He had nothing better to do; plus he wanted to see Rogue in action. Nobody seemed to notice his entry.  
  
"I don't think anybody can answer that." Rogue answered calmly, "Since it appears that we won't be getting back to talking about the Roman aqueducts today, lets talk about this instead.  
  
A few of the students let out a sigh of relief and they closed their notebooks and sat back in their chairs.  
  
She continued, "People fear what they don't understand. The more we talk about this issue, the less you have to fear. Any questions?"  
  
Logan watched with interest as the students, no older then sixteen years of age, raised their hands and asked questions and debated over the roots of evil. It wasn't until a girl asked a certain question, did Rogue start to feel uneasy.  
  
"What was it like being his prisoner?"  
  
Logan sat straight up. He never really did know what Magneto did to Rogue. No one did.  
  
It took her a moment to formulate an answer, or maybe she wasn't going to answer at all. It was obvious that this was one trip down memory lane she wasn't prepared to travel.  
  
"When he captured me," she started cautiously, "I was so scared. For the longest time we had thought that he was after someone else and I had hurt him not to long before that. He was the same man who came after me when I ran away." She had a strange look on her face as she said this, "He was the same man who saved my life in the end."  
  
"Was it Mr. Drake?" A boy asked.  
  
"No, it was-Logan!" she said spotting him in the back.  
  
The whole class turned at the same time to stare at the new man sitting in the back. Logan didn't know whether to be freaked out or laugh at how the class turned at exactly the same time.  
  
The sound of the lunch bell tore through the air and Logan practically got trampled by the mob of hungry teens.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked when the room was empty.  
  
"I have to have a reason for everything?"  
  
She gave him a look and then rolled her eyes laughing to herself.  
  
"You know, you never really did answer the girl's question. What did he do to you?" Logan asked.  
  
Rogue shifted from foot to foot feeling unusually shy under his stare.  
  
"I was out for most of it. By the time I woke up I was in the back of a van with that toad watching me. Toad and Magneto switched places." She stopped unsure.  
  
Logan stared at her. He put his hand on her shoulder, urging her to go on.  
  
"Nothing physical happened, I mean how could it? But all the time I was around him I couldn't shake off that feeling. He played mind games. Told me lies about the Professor, about the Mansion, about you. He said you weren't going to come for me."  
  
"But that's stupid. I would have never left you to him."  
  
"I know and I knew that, but he got me to doubt. I actually thought you weren't going to come. When I woke up and saw you pass out, all cut up, I was shocked that you were even there. I should have never doubted you. Jean said that you almost died. I felt so horrible."  
  
Logan could tell that she was trying her hardest not to cry.  
  
"If it's any help to you, I hurt you first."  
  
She looked up at him.  
  
"I lied to my students. I know everything about him. In here." She said tapping her temples, "He still scares me. I have nightmares. When I learned he escaped I felt like locking myself in my room. That's how much of a hold he has on me."  
  
Logan took his hand off put it in the right pocket of his black jeans.  
  
"He scares me too. He can control every part of my body. But I get over it. As long as the Professor's here, he can't touch us."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"You're right."  
  
The door opened and Bobby walked in.  
  
"Hey, honey, there is something important I need to ask you." He said walking up to them.  
  
"What do need to ask?" Rogue asked him.  
  
Bobby looked at Logan.  
  
"Right." Logan said, "See you later, Marie."  
  
"Bye." She said, "Now, what do you need to ask?"  
  
The last thing that Logan saw as he closed the door was Bobby Drake sinking down to one knee.  
  
Logan leaned against the wall stunned. This couldn't be happening.  
  
"Yes!" He heard Marie exclaim.  
  
Logan closed his eyes.  
  
'Get over yourself.' He heard himself thinking, 'You never had a chance.'  
  
He walked down the empty hall not knowing what he was walking towards. He didn't care. He felt numb, cold, and empty. He had never felt this way before. Even when he learned that Jean was taken. Marie was different; his feelings towards her were different. He felt unsure of himself and he definitely didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.  
  
A/N: DUN DUN DUN!!!! Two chapters in one day. Go me. Enjoy! 


	7. Of Old Times

Logan didn't feel like sleeping after the meeting. It was 9:30 on a Friday night. All of the students were in their dormitories, thus the lobby was up for grabs. He flopped on the sofa and grabbed the remote and turned on the TV randomly started to flip though the channels.  
  
"Anything good on?" Rouge asked.  
  
Logan sat up immediately at the sound of her voice. He hasn't seen her all day after their last-encounter before lunch.  
  
"Nope." He grunted making room for her on the sofa, "Nothing."  
  
"There usually never is." She said taking the offered seat.  
  
A sparkle of gold caught his eye. The ring on her left ring finger confirmed his thoughts.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked.  
  
"Who said I wanted anything?" she asked pretending to take offence.  
  
"You're not the only one who know how other people think. Now, what is it?"  
  
She sighed knowing that she had lost.  
  
"Can you teach me how fight?"  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Combat? Street fighting?"  
  
"Anything to get people back off, you know? So I don't have to be so defenseless all of the time."  
  
Logan felt like smiling, but instead he smirked.  
  
"Sure thing kid."  
  
They both stood up and brought the sofa cushions with them to the open area at the center of the lobby.  
  
"Now, what you want to remember is to always catch your enemy by surprise."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Bobby watched as his fiancé got flipped by that man; Logan. He watched as she got up laughing and gave Logan an unexpected round house kick that would have smashed into his head had he not have ducked. Bobby couldn't help, but feel a pang of jealousy as he saw the two laughing together; being so close.  
  
"Don't worry, he always does that." A voice came from behind him.  
  
It was Scott Summers.  
  
"Does what?" Bobby asked.  
  
"Try to steal your girl. It's his thing. Never works though. Watching only make you feel worse. Come on."  
  
Scott ushered Bobby away from the scene, but he couldn't help thinking that this time, Logan might actually win.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Just like old times, eh?" Rogue panted as they walked to her room.  
  
"Yeah, just like old times." Logan grunted, "When did you get to be so flexible?"  
  
It was 11:45 and they both were worn out.  
  
"I used to be a gymnast. Up until I fled to Canada and met you."  
  
"How Long?"  
  
"Since I was four. Got to love parents who force their crushed dreams on their children.  
  
Logan grinned as they came to Rogue's room.  
  
"Night, kid." He said.  
  
"Night." Rogue replied as she opened the door. She shyly gave him a second glance as she shut the door leaving a very happy Logan in the hallway.  
  
Bobby pretended to sleep and not notice how late she came to bed.  
  
Marie pretended not to notice how fast her heart could beat every time she was with the Wolverine. 


	8. There's Two?

Logan walked into Rogue's classroom to find her slaving away at her desk.  
  
"Hey, kid, it's a Saturday. What are you doing?" he asked walking up to her desk.  
  
"Paperwork." She groaned.  
  
"We should do something." He said sitting on her desk.  
  
She looked up curiously. He seemed to be ignorant to the fact that he was sitting on several pens and pencils.  
  
"Like what?" she asked trying not to laugh.  
  
"I don't know. How about we go out for lunch?"  
  
"Logan, you know we can't go out there. It's instant death! I'd rather be stuck here forever than being Magneto's prisoner again."  
  
Logan stiffened at this.  
  
"But I'd protect you. Make sure nothing happened to you."  
  
Rogue got up to file some documents.  
  
"Hello?! You are full of his element! What makes you think that you have that big of a chance against him?"  
  
"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." He said walking towards her.  
  
She backed away. Something was off.  
  
The doors to the room opened and for the second time, Logan walked in.  
  
A/N: DUN DUN DUN. Just felt like typing this. An other example of compulsive typing. Will continue later. Until then. 


	9. Logan's Weakness

The Logan Rogue had talked to grabbed her pressed the three blades that came out of his left hand, to her neck.  
  
"Mystique, you bitch!" Rogue screamed as she struggled against Mystique's grip.  
  
The real Logan unsheathed his claws.  
  
"Let her go." He growled.  
  
"Or you'll do what?" Mystique dared.  
  
Before he could answer, the window to Rogue's classroom ripped out of the wall.  
  
"Let's go!" Toad ordered as he hopped into the room.  
  
Mystique shoved Rogue over to him rather roughly. Logan got ready to attack.  
  
"Do it." Toad urged his accomplice, "If you are going to do it, do it now so we can leave unnoticed."  
  
Before Logan could even move, Mystique ran her claws through Rogue's stomach. She screamed in pain.  
  
"Marie!" Logan shouted.  
  
Toad suddenly shoved her towards Logan. As he held her trembling body, he realized their plan and so did she.  
  
"Don't." She insisted, "Save yourself."  
  
But he couldn't. He couldn't watch her die. He put the palms of his hands on her face and instantly felt that tingling sensation he had experienced only two times before.  
  
Rogue shoved him away, crying as she watched him convulsed on the floor.  
  
Toad picked her up, prepared for a fight; she didn't even struggle. She just watched the horror that took place in front of her.  
  
Mystique went to grab Logan, but stopped. She turned into Professor Xavier and then changed back.  
  
"They're coming." She said, "Leave him. We'll get him later. We don't need him right away anyhow."  
  
With that, they were gone. 


	10. Stolen Again

"Logan! Logan, wake up!"  
  
A blurry image of Jean Grey was coming into focus. Were his eyes even open? Can you have your eyes open and not even realize it? Why was Jean here? Death hurts like hell.  
  
Marie!  
  
He jolted upwards up to his feet, swaying, as his world seemed to spin around him. He tripped over his own feet and fell, taking Jean with him. He groaned as he pressed his fingers to his temple. He forgot how much his head hurts after.  
  
His hand suddenly became cold; like ice. Bobby helped Logan up to his feet. Scott helped Jean. Logan looked around. Storm and the Professor were in Marie's classroom too.  
  
"Were is she?" Bobby asked trying to stay calm. He made sure Logan was steady on his feet.  
  
"She's been taken by Magneto." Professor Xavier said reading Logan's mind.  
  
The mood in the room changed from fear to panic.  
  
"They screwed up." Logan grunted.  
  
Everyone turned to face him.  
  
"They were supposed to take me too."  
  
*~*~*  
  
She didn't even ask where they were taking her; she already knew. Toad stuffed her into the van and hopped in to join her. In moments the engine started and Rogue grew farther and farther way from her safety, her home.  
  
More than anything she wished that they'd have taken Logan too. She didn't want to go through this alone again.  
  
Toad grabbed her wrists and locked cuffs around them.  
  
"Nice." He commented noticing the ring on her gloved finger.  
  
Her cheeks flushed. She chose not to answer.  
  
As he was placing cuffs around her ankles his right arm started to twitch. It was slight at first, but it grew to become tremors. It stopped after a minute and Rogue doubted what she even saw.  
  
"The implications of being struck by lightning." He explained seeing the confused look on her face.  
  
He extended his tongue. A good portion of it was black.  
  
"Are you alright? Does it hurt?" She found herself asking.  
  
"You get used to it"  
  
He finished tightening her cuffs in silence.  
  
"Comfy enough for you?"  
  
She didn't know whether he meant for it to be a joke or just a cruel remark, but she laughed anyway.  
  
Much to her surprise, Toad laughed too.  
  
*~*~*  
  
He sort of felt bad. His heart went out to the girl in chains that sat before him. She cared enough to see if he was all right after his muscle spasm.  
  
He understood why they needed her two years ago. Why do they need her now?  
  
Those two shared secrets. They probably shared more. Toad was sure there was a more plausible reason why they needed the girl. They would probably just tell him later.  
  
But still, he couldn't ignore the silent tear that slid down the girl's cheek.  
  
A/N: I just got X-Men 1.5 and I stayed up all night watching all the extra goodies. The commentary is a blast to listen to and you find out that Sean Ashmore has an identical twin brother. Nice to know.  
  
Anyway, I realized that earlier I said impulsive typing and later I said compulsive typing. They are the same thing. Perhaps I confused you, or maybe you just don't care. Just thought I'd straighten that little deal out.  
  
I'm also thinking about making a sequel. It would be the first sequel I would write for any of my stories. I kind of have the plotline down, but let me know what you think. Tell me if you think that a sequel is a good idea or if I should toss the whole idea out.  
  
THANKS FOR ALL YOU SUPPORT SO FAR!!!!!!!  
  
DAVID BOWIE FOREVER!!!!!  
  
I am halfway done with the story. Until next time. 


	11. Him

Logan stood alone in the empty room. He let out a sigh that froze in the air. I was 1:00 AM, but he couldn't sleep. He had finally got up and walked down to her classroom, thinking about the day's events.  
  
It was all his fault; that he knew. There was only one way to foil their plan, but Logan couldn't do it. He felt so vulnerable, so weak. He wasn't able to protect the one woman he truly cared about.  
  
When he walked into this room earlier, he saw himself cornering Marie. Of course it wasn't actually himself that was advancing seductively on her. It was Mystique. Mystique played her.  
  
But why did Mystique choose to be him? Why not be Bobby? He is her fiancé, after all.  
  
Logan walked up to the open file cabinet drawer. He wasn't about to go through her things, but he was curious as to what were in those files. He looked at the little tabs on the folders. The drawer was full of files about ancient Rome.  
  
He still couldn't get over the fact that she was a teacher. Before he had left she always would talk about that museum stuff. He had to admit that he was pretty interested in all of that history talk, especially when it came to the old war tactics and weaponry. He was even tempted to pick up a book from time to time, but never did. He made a mental note to visit the library later.  
  
He pushed the drawer in and walked to the freshly boarded up part of the wall. What could they possibly want Marie for? The possibilities were endless and it was no use to worry himself sick over something he had no control of-yet.  
  
He needed to get to sleep. Logan would be worthless if he wasn't in top physical shape.  
  
He will get her back.  
  
That was for sure.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The van ride was way longer than she had remembered. Bumpier too. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was buzzing and her eyes were out of focus. Perhaps she was sleeping with her eyes open?  
  
Rogue snapped out of her peaceful state when she fell forward on top of Toad.  
  
They had arrived.  
  
Her body screamed at the sudden movement. How long had she been sitting like that? When Mystique opened the slider door Rogue realized that the sky was dark. It was almost noon when she was taken. She suddenly had the sick feeling that she wasn't in New York anymore.  
  
She stiffly got out of the can and stumbled forgetting she was shackled. Toad quickly got a hold of her before she felt. She felt like thanking him, but her mouth had forgotten how to work.  
  
Rogue took in her surroundings. She was in a garage. It was small, but the open garage door let a small driveway spill into a dirt path. There were no other buildings around. Only trees.  
  
Everything in the garage was metal. Automatic sliding doors opened as they walked trough. They walked through a maze of hallways all made of the same metal as the garaged was. Toad held her arm to steady her while Mystique led the way. Toad's touch almost felt reassuring.  
  
More sliding doors opened to reveal a large metal room. It looked to be two stories tall. In it was a metal desk and behind it was-she gasped-Him.  
  
The man of her nightmares stood up in her presence and said in a booming voice,  
  
"Welcome to Ohio."  
  
A/N: I finally updated. Go me. I haven't yet seen X2, but I will later today. I am so freaking excited. Any way. As I read over my whole fic today I realized that I made some pretty big type-o's. Keep in mind that I usually type these up at night, but that should be no excuse. I tried to fix some of the big ones today, but I don't have time to fix them all. I apologize for the ones that already existed and the ones that will pop up in the chapters to come. Sorry.  
  
Let me know about the sequel thing. Right now, I am pretty sure I want to do it. Let me know what you think. Tootles!! 


	12. Rogue's Condition

Logan fixed himself a nice strong cup of coffee. He had slept for only six hours. He remembered having a horrible nightmare, but he couldn't remember what it was about.  
  
"Well aren't we just a big ray sunshine." Storm commented as she poured herself a cup from the coffee pot.  
  
She took a sip and instantly spat it out in the nearby sink.  
  
"Ugh! How can you drink that?!"  
  
He didn't answer. She watched as he walked away with out even recognizing her presence.  
  
"I'm worried about him." Storm said to Jean as she walked up to her, "He's taking this hard. Harder than before, and we though THAT was tough. Do you think--"  
  
"He likes her? I don't know. Then again, he's never looked at me the way he looks at her."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rogue was cold. She was tired, hungry, and freezing. She slept horribly as anyone would have on a metal cot.  
  
She was so mad at herself. How could she have been tricked again? Mystique was a good actress, but still, Rogue should have expected something like this would have happened.  
  
She wondered what Logan was doing at this very moment. She thought very hard on this. Suddenly she tasted the bitterness of a very strong coffee. She gagged and coughed as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She had just felt Logan; his presence. She had smelled him, heard him, felt him. Had she been in his mind?  
  
She concentrated harder on the large part of him in her.  
  
Logan was walking down a dimly lit hallway with a cup of coffee in his hand. It took her a while to realize that she was seeing through his eyes. He was headed towards the library. The vision made her smile.  
  
Logan stopped suddenly. He turned and looked around him, sniffing the air like her was sensing an enemy. Rogue's hands hurt as he unsheathed his claws. He couldn't possibly feel her, could he? Could she feel him?  
  
"Logan." She whispered.  
  
He heard.  
  
"Logan, it is me, Rogue."  
  
He relaxed a bit turning about trying to find her. He kept his claws out.  
  
"I'm in your mind. At least I think I am." She continued, "I don't know where I am. Ohio I heard. In a big metal building or something. In a forest, or somewhere with trees. You have to help me, I think they're going to come after y--"  
  
A sharp needle slid into her arm stopping her in mid-sentence. She lost touch with Logan. She lost touch with everything. Blackness claimed her.  
  
Mystique stood over the unconscious girl.  
  
"We'll have no more of that."  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Rogue!" He found himself screaming banging on his head with his fists. His claws were back in his arms.  
  
He had no clue what had just happened. He had heard her, felt her in him. Rogue was alive-for now. Something had happened to her. He had felt her jerk out of their connection.  
  
They needed to rescue her.  
  
Fast.  
  
He turned around and raced to Xavier's office.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Rogue woke up she wasn't in her cell. She was in a laboratory of a kind. She was cuffed to a chair. She couldn't have been out long. The cut where the needle had entered her arm hadn't yet clotted.  
  
"Aren't you a bit chilly?" Magneto's voice came from behind her.  
  
He walked in front of her and looked her over. She had a black tee and a pair of blue jeans on. The gloves she had been wearing were gone. The cold metal of the chair stung her bare upper arms.  
  
"I heard you tried to commune with our friend the Wolverine. Foolish girl." Magneto said slapping her across the face with a gloved hand, "Foolish children and their meaningless engagements."  
  
He took out Bobby's ring from his pocket and threw it to the ground.  
  
"And this," He said ripping Logan's dog tag from her neck, "isn't yours."  
  
Rogue felt little drips of blood trickle down the back of her neck.  
  
"Not even a whimper? No?"  
  
He grabbed her hair and pulled her head backwards.  
  
She moaned in pain.  
  
"Such soft, silky hair."  
  
She heard him sniff it. Tears welled in her eyes.  
  
"I see our friend has left his mark. Red suits you. So much anger."  
  
She had forgotten about the red glint in her hair. Was it Logan's?  
  
Magneto released her as Mystique entered the room. Something was in her hands. As she got closer Rogue could tell that they were a pair of metal gloves. Mystique started to attach them to Rogue's hands.  
  
"An experiment." Magneto explained, "You won't be able to take them off."  
  
With a loud clank they were on. They covered her entire hands, except the fingertips. They hand many hinges on them for easy movement. They were like a second skin. Rogue didn't even want to know how they knew her exact hand size.  
  
"Bring him in." Magneto ordered.  
  
The sliding doors opened and Mystique ushered a young boy, about fourteen, in. He had long black hair and piercing blue eyes. He was as tall as Mystique and his clothes were a poor fit. They were ratty and dirty. He looked like he had seen hell. There was no doubt in Rogue's mind that he hadn't. His shoes were rather odd. They looked like they were made of lead.  
  
Mystique unlocked Rogue's chains, but Rogue didn't move. She had a very bad feeling about this.  
  
A pull tugged at her hands and she was forced to her feet. She slowly walked towards the boy.  
  
"Don't worry. We killed his family. Death will be a relief to him." Magneto sneered.  
  
"No. No!!!" Rogue screamed realizing what was going on. She struggled with all of her might, but she couldn't stop herself.  
  
No one could.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"We have to get her out of there." Logan said.  
  
"And where exactly is she?" Scott asked, "The Professor already tried Cerebro and it didn't work."  
  
"She's in Ohio somewhere. A metal building surrounded by trees." He looked around at all of the doubtful faces, "She is! I'll find her!!"  
  
He stormed out. Jean nodded to the Professor and ran after him. Scott, Storm, Xavier, and Bobby stayed behind.  
  
"Logan! Logan, wait!" Jean yelled as she caught up to him.  
  
"Why? Why should I? You all obviously don't believe me." Logan rounded on her.  
  
"I do."  
  
Logan paused.  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yes. We've looked into Rogue's condition--"  
  
"You mean you studied her."  
  
"Well, yes, for about a year after you left. What she absorbs from others is almost like a piece of their souls; small pieces mind you. I think she gets more. Do you play poker?"  
  
The question caught him off guard.  
  
"Yes, I'm very good at it. Why?"  
  
"Well, Rogue didn't know how and she's never lost a game."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She's also very good at chess and a great mechanic. She helps Scott every day in the garage."  
  
"Are you saying she absorbs talents?"  
  
"Among other things, yes."  
  
"But she asked me how to fight the other day. If what you say is true, she should have already known how."  
  
"She doesn't know she possesses these skills until the occasions arise. Tell me, was she a quick learner?"  
  
"Yeah. She was perfect."  
  
"There you go."  
  
"Well what are the other things?"  
  
"Knowledge. She learns of the person's history and way of thinking."  
  
"What would happen if she completely absorbed a person?"  
  
"We don't know. That's why we need to find her quick. We have no clue how much Magneto knows about her and what she is capable of."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Theoretically she could possess as many mutants' powers necessary permanently. That would make her the ultimate tool for mutant warfare."  
  
Logan stood there thinking things over.  
  
"We don't have much time." He said, "Nor does she."  
  
A/N: This is what happens when you try to type a chapter while listening to The Beach Boys. You get demented thoughts. Actually I had this all written out as I usually do with all of my chapters, with the exceptions of my compulsive/impulsive typing. My writing changes from draft to drafts, being there only two, and The Beach Boys have changed it dramatically. I like how it worked out though.  
  
Funny story about the beach boys: I play the cello in orchestra and we are playing an orchestral version of "I Get Around", "In My Room", "Good Vibrations", and Barbara Ann." It is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Well not exactly. I read in a magazine that Hugh Jackman's sister Sonya looks a lot like him and the whole cast and crew played a big joke on Brian by dressing Sonya up as Logan and they actually did a take with her acting it. Brian had no clue until the end. It is stories like those that make me smile.  
  
Any who, X2 was FREAKING SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Took personal joy when seeing Mystique change into Rogue while she was on top of Logan. Go L/M!!!! And the line "We like what you've done with your hair." CLASSIC!!! Oh crap. I have probably said too much. If you haven't seen the movie and are pissed at me for telling some lines, than SEE THE MOVIE ALREADY!!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE SEEN IT BY NOW???? Last thing though, I personally thought that Bobby's cat was the best. That was the best feline acting I have seen since Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Or was that just a puppet? If you are reading this then I feel very sorry for you.  
  
Stop reading.  
  
STOP IT!!!  
  
Fine keep reading. Who am I to stop you? I'm just the AUTHOR!!  
  
Ok, very sorry. I am super hyper and I apologize for anything I have said that might have said that pisses you off. I personally blame The Beach Boys.  
  
In respond to reviews: I know Rogue doesn't seem the one to cuss, but Mystique keeps playing her, man!! Just think how you'd feel.  
  
Here's a little look about my personal experiences for this chapter. There is only one thing worse than very strong coffee: tea that has had the tea bag sit in it all night and then your older brother warms it up and gives it to you calling it fresh. I know how Storm felt.  
  
Speaking of Storm, I suddenly realized that I hadn't mentioned her at all. I wrote her in and she'll get more lines in the future. Oops!  
  
I just realized that I made Jean the ultimate plot giver. Oh well. She did well. Some to think of it she, Magneto, and Xavier are the plot givers in X- Men. Nice to have those characters around.  
  
This is the longest chapter I think I have ever written. Cool.  
  
Yeah, I'll stop typing now. 


	13. Attack Plan

"Who does he think he is?"  
  
"Scott." Jean warned.  
  
"He isn't the only one who lost something. She was like a daughter to me, to us."  
  
"Scott, I know. It's just that, I think he loves her?"  
  
"Like he loved you?"  
  
Jean shot him a glare. Scott knew he had crossed the line.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"I was just a fancy. She's it."  
  
"What about Bobby?"  
  
"I don't know. He'll learn when he's meant to."  
  
They sat together on their bed in silence for a while.  
  
"I miss him." Jean said trying not to cry. She was staring at the picture of a small baby boy on their nightstand. He looked to be about a year old.  
  
"I do too." Scott said hugging his wife, "He's safer with your parents."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Both of our children are gone."  
  
"I know."  
  
"We'll get them back."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Logan will get her back."  
  
"It might be too late."  
  
"We'll pray that it isn't."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Logan walked past Jean and Scott's room. Their lights were still on.  
  
He walked to Xavier's office.  
  
"You were right Logan." Xavier said, "There is a building by Toledo that fits your description."  
  
"When do we leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
"Good."  
  
Logan headed back to his room.  
  
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rogue had never killed a person until now. She struggled against it. Lord knows how much she fought it. Her hair was now a rich chestnut brown. The red and white highlights were still there though.  
  
Rogue could now fly. The lead-like shoes were on her feet. They prevented her from floating in the air. She had yet to master her new skill.  
  
Tears streamed down her already tearstained cheeks.  
  
She was so alone. No Logan. No Bobby. No Jean or Scott. No one to turn to.  
  
He was only a boy. So much life was ahead of him. He had so much potential.  
  
His name was Zach.  
  
Zachary Fenton.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Toad walked past the cell the girl was in. He learned what they made her do. He understood what they were trying to accomplish. The war against humans wasn't over. It was just starting to begin.  
  
It was just that he couldn't see why Magneto and Mystique couldn't take over the world themselves.  
  
Why use her?  
  
He had never heard anyone cry like that. It saddened him.  
  
It wasn't fair. If they were trying to save mutant kind, why were they killing mutants? The humans should die. Not the brethren.  
  
Something was off in the plan.  
  
He walked on.  
  
A/N: Just a lame chapter I felt like typing. It probably will just confuse you more than it did to tell the story. Compulsive/impulsive typing to Surfin' U.S.A.  
  
Scary stuff.  
  
About the chapter: By now hopefully you know that there is a family type bond between Rogue, Scott, and Jean, Rogue and Scott in particular. Father- daughter. I also hope you figured out that Scott and Jean have a son. If you didn't than read the chapter again and if you still don't, then that is your problem.  
  
Also, Toad has conflicting feelings. I tried to bring that out more. Hopefully it worked. THERE WILL BE NO ROGUE/TOAD ACTION!!! Just incase you were worried, which many of you were.  
  
Zach Fenton is a dude I made up. Rogue can fly in the comic and it served the plot so I put it in. I don't know if that is how she got that power. I haven't been into the comics since I was 11. Then I was an X-Men junkie. I pretty much forgot most of it. I am getting out my comic collections back out though.  
  
I also got X-Men Monopoly today. Wolverine is Boardwalk. Right on.  
  
Until next time. 


	14. Control

It was strange. Logan found himself back on Liberty Island. Back in the Statue of Liberty. He tried to move.  
  
He couldn't.  
  
He realized he was strapped against the metal wall again.  
  
He was alone. Storm, Jean, and Scott were not there this time.  
  
She was screaming. Rogue was in pain. He couldn't do anything no matter how hard he struggled. He was forced to listen to her die.  
  
The scene changed. He was in Rogue's classroom. He stood there helpless watching Mystique stab Rogue through the stomach.  
  
Now he was back in his bedroom, tossing and turning underneath the covers. He screamed as he sat up, claws out, Rogues blood on his shirt.  
  
He woke up with a start, drenched in sweat. He panted as he stupidly checked his shirt.  
  
It was clean.  
  
Logan glanced at the clock.  
  
5:30 AM.  
  
Damn.  
  
He had never felt this bad in his life. He's let her down so many times. He'd always arrived too late. But not this time.  
  
He wont let her down this time.  
  
He clumsily got out of bed with a new sense of determination. He quietly put on a pair of blue jeans he found on the floor. It took him awhile to button up his long sleeved, black shirt and tie up his boots. He threw on his old leather jacket, slipped on his gloves, and headed down the hall.  
  
He wasn't stupid enough to take the jet on his own. He new a perfectly good bike that could get him to Toledo in about two and a half hours.  
  
House arrest or not, he was going alone.  
  
It was something he had to do.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Flying is an easy thing to master, especially when the threat of physical abuse loomed in the air.  
  
"No!" Magneto yelled.  
  
He waved his hands, jerking the gloves to the right. Rogue slammed against the wall with a loud 'thud'.  
  
"Not until I tell you. Now, get up."  
  
She didn't move.  
  
"UP!!"  
  
She slowly forced herself on to her feet only to fall back down.  
  
"Mystique." Magneto ordered.  
  
Mystique changed into Logan and grabbed Rogue by the arm.  
  
"Now you have no excuse." Magneto said in a sickly polite voice, "Get up."  
  
It took another torturing hour for Rogue to finally get everything right. She sat against to wall stunned. It felt like she had just been beaten repeatedly with a bag of bricks, but she had no marks to show for it. She was so tired. They hadn't let her sleep ever since she had killed Zachary. There was something they knew that she didn't and it was driving her to the verge of insanity.  
  
"He's never going to come for you." Magneto whispered in her ear.  
  
She hadn't realized that he was kneeling right beside her.  
  
"You're wrong." She whimpered.  
  
"I wish I was."  
  
"You are."  
  
"If I'm wrong than why did he leave you? He left after you both went through hell. He was the only one you could have confided to, and he left. He wasn't even going to say good bye."  
  
Rogue had no answer to that. What he said was true, almost all of it anyway. Logan would never leave her here. He told her so. Logan would save her, she was sure of it. But....  
  
Mystique ran into the room.  
  
"Eric." She warned signaling something to Magneto with her hands.  
  
He stood up.  
  
"He's here isn't he?" Rogue asked.  
  
Neither magneto nor Mystique spoke.  
  
"I told you he would come."  
  
"Don't get your hopes up you foolish girl." Magneto sneered, "He's just walked right into our trap, and you'll be the one to end his life."  
  
"You'll never get me to kill him."  
  
"Oh but you forget, my dear. I control your every move. Now, put on your lovely shoes. We have a wolf to hunt."  
  
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. School ended yesterday and my brother graduated form high school meaning we had to clean our house, which is a very hard thing to do. I also lost my notebook that had the rest of this lovely fic in it.  
  
Yes, my friends, this story is close to its end. Sad moment for us all. I am working on the sequel, though, and I am starting a new X-Men fic that continues after X2. Look for those in the near future.  
  
Later days. 


	15. Rogue's Weakness

Logan knew something was wrong. It was too easy. Getting in was just too easy. He sniffed the air, trying to locate Rogue's scent.  
  
He found it.  
  
He fallowed it down the hallway and into a room. The sliding doors opened to reveal Rogue standing in a corner with her back towards him. Magneto was standing beside her.  
  
"Get out."  
  
The tension in the room shattered momentarily at that one sudden statement.  
  
"Excuse me?" Logan asked, shocked.  
  
"Get out." Rogue repeated, "He's going to make me--"  
  
Magneto silenced her by placing a gloved hand over her mouth. He pinched her right arm.  
  
"Let her go." Logan growled.  
  
"Ok."  
  
Magneto released her and she turned around, her arms outstretched before her. She was wearing some kind of metal gloves. Her shoes wear odd looking too. She slowly started to walk towards him.  
  
"Run!!" She screamed at him, tears in her eyes.  
  
Logan couldn't move.  
  
Rogue pulled backwards and tried to jerk away, but she couldn't.  
  
"Ironic, isn't it?" Magneto said smoothly and he walked beside her, "You touch her to save her life and in return she touches you to end yours."  
  
Rogue's right leg lashed out kicking him right in the ankle. Once out of his control, she punched him in the gut and kneed him in the groin.  
  
She ran to Logan as Magneto toppled over in pain.  
  
"The gloves!" She cried.  
  
Logan's claws ejected out of his hands, through his gloves, and sliced through the gloves. Rogues hands bled from new, deep scratches on the tops of her hands. Logan's aim had been a little off.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's ok, just run."  
  
They got halfway down the hallway when he halted.  
  
Magneto.  
  
Rogue yanked off her shoes and wrapped her arms around Logan, her hands bleeding freely on his shirt. She closed her eyes in deep concentration, forcing her will to be stronger than Magneto's.  
  
They only floated an inch off of the ground, but it was enough. They zoomed down the hall and were close to the exit, but the sliding doors snapped shut. Logan flew out of Rogue's grasp and had his back pressed against the ceiling. Rogue fell to the ground.  
  
"I wasn't asking for this to he hard, but you gave me no choice."  
  
Magneto scoffed as he strode towards them.  
  
"Stupid girl." Magneto said as he pulled Rogue up on her feet.  
  
As soon as she was standing he struck her back down.  
  
She screamed in pain and rage. She jumped to her feet, adrenaline surging through her veins. She lunged forward with a jump kick.  
  
Logan fell to the ground.  
  
"Marie!" He yelled pulling her back.  
  
The two doors slid open, but only Logan walked through them. Magneto grabbed Rogue's foot, pulling her down. Her hand slid out of Logan's and she fell with a sickening 'bang'.  
  
The doors closed before Logan could get back through.  
  
"No!" He roared.  
  
"What? What is it?" Scott asked as he ran up to Logan.  
  
Storm, Jean, and Bobby were right behind him.  
  
"Blast it! Blast the damn door!!"  
  
Scott chose not to question and everybody stood back.  
  
There was nothing on the other side of the doorframe. Only blood remained.  
  
"Down the hall and to the right." Jean said.  
  
The rest took her lead.  
  
Something pulled Scott's feet out from under him. Toad threw Scott against the wall and did the same with Jean.  
  
"You." He snarled as he tackled Storm.  
  
Rogue's shriek tore through the air.  
  
Logan couldn't linger. He sprinted towards the sound. Bobby followed.  
  
*~*~*  
  
She did it.  
  
Rogue killed Magneto.  
  
He came after her with a syringe. She only defended herself.  
  
He'd dragged her back into the lab using the secret entrance. He picked her up and slammed her on the table. He chocked her, trying to keep her still. He grabbed a nearby tube of something and attached it to a needle.  
  
That's when it happened.  
  
She lashed out with her feet, not knowing where she hit him. She felt around for something, screaming as she broke a large beaker and stabbed him with the largest shard of glass.  
  
He fell.  
  
She fell with him.  
  
It was at that moment that Mystique ran in.  
  
"No!!" she screamed, "You little whore!!!"  
  
Mystique dove at Rogue, ramming her against a shelf. Books fell on them as they fought. Mystique pulled the shelf over and Rogue scrambled out from under it just in time.  
  
Mystique stalked over to Magneto's body and grabbed the syringe off of the floor. She went to a cabinet and opened it taking a vile filled with a black liquid. She mixed it with the contents of the syringe.  
  
Rogue tried to run, but Mystique caught her at the door.  
  
"This is for Eric!"  
  
Rogue screamed as the needle was stabbed into her arm. Before Mystique had the chance to inject the mixture, Rogue grabbed Mystique's hand and yanked down and out. White-hot pain stung her brain as the needle tore through the flesh and muscle of Rogue's upper left arm. A fresh five-inch gash spewed blood as she pushed Mystique away.  
  
She lost.  
  
There was no way Rogue could keep up this fight.  
  
She was done.  
  
There was so much redness.  
  
Wetness.  
  
She was so dizzy.  
  
So tired.  
  
But, she kept standing.  
  
She would stand her ground until the very end.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The hallways were so damn complicated. There was no door where Jean had said there was. They kept hearing her scream, but they couldn't find her. Rogue's scent was lost. All Logan could smell was blood.  
  
They ended up back where they had started.  
  
"Did you find her?" Scott asked.  
  
"What do you think?" Logan snapped.  
  
"Where did Toad go?" Storm gagged as she limped up.  
  
Jean looked around, searching with her mind.  
  
"Oh no." She whispered.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rogue watched helplessly as Toad jumped right in front of her stopping Mystique just as she was about to kill her. She had to do something to help him.  
  
Quickly.  
  
She bent down and picked up a large book and threw it with her right arm, her good arm.  
  
It hit Mystique in the temple, but it was too late. She had already snapped Toad's neck. He didn't even have a chance.  
  
He had risked his life for her.  
  
She ran and kicked Mystique's lifeless body, crying as she did so.  
  
"This is for Toad!! This is for Toad!!!!" She cried in an insane howl.  
  
"And this is for me." Magneto moaned with his last breath.  
  
Rogue didn't see the large, metal test tube rack float up from behind her. She did, however, feel it smash against her skull. She dropped to the floor like a rag doll.  
  
All four people in the lab were now dead.  
  
A/N: DUN DUN DUN!!!! Sorry kids, but this is where I leave you for now. Hahaha!!!  
  
Sorry about the 'Sorry kids' there. Logan's speech is rubbing off on me. That and my best friend's brother always refers to me as 'kid' and I see him quite frequently.  
  
Two chapies in one day. How quaint.  
  
Yeah, I'll stop typing now. It's late and I need my sleep.  
  
SUMMER KICKS BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Later days. 


	16. The Kiss Of Death

The room was a mess. Shattered glass from science equipment, books, and blood were everywhere. Logan, Bobby, Storm, Scott, and Jean all walked in surveying the damage.  
  
Four bodies lied on the floor motionless.  
  
"Marie!" Logan shouted running over to her.  
  
She lied in a pool of blood.  
  
Storm put a hand on Bobby's shoulder while Scott hugged a sobbing Jean.  
  
They were too late.  
  
Logan cradled Rogue in his arms. He took off his glove and held her bare hand. He touched her pale face. Nothing happened.  
  
"You can't die." He whispered , " I'm here to save you. That's how it works."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Come on, kid."  
  
Stillness.  
  
"Marie?"  
  
Silence.  
  
There was nothing he could do. He'd let her down in the worst possible way.  
  
"No!" He screamed, "No!!!!"  
  
She couldn't die. She can't be dead. He loved her. Loved her more that he had loved Jean. Loved her more than he ever though he could have loved anyone. Wasn't that enough to bring her back?  
  
Overcome with emotion, he cupped her pale face in his ands and gently pressed his lips to hers.  
  
Something happened.  
  
A familiar tingling sensation.  
  
Then darkness.  
  
Rogue pushed Logan away stunned to have woken up in his arms. Had he been kissing her? A thousand questions soared through her mind as she watched Logan twitch before her. How many times would she have to watch this?  
  
He was covered in blood, which she soon realized was her own.  
  
She was drenched in it too.  
  
He had huge gashes all over his body.  
  
She was without a scar.  
  
Bobby ran up and hugged her.  
  
He was crying.  
  
She was too.  
  
So much blood.  
  
So many tears.  
  
So much pain and death.  
  
All because of her. 


	17. Standing Room Only

The sudden brightness hurt Logan's eyes. As soon as he awoke, he knew where he was. He was sleeping on a hospital bed in the recovery wing of the Mansion.  
  
He suddenly sat up and looked around. Rogue was in a bed next to him. She was hooked up to multiple machines.  
  
"Don't worry, she's fine." Jean said noticing Logan's confusion.  
  
"Those machines suggest other wise."  
  
"She's been through God knows what and as a result she's had a mental trauma, a break down if you will."  
  
"When did that happen?"  
  
"On the way back to the Mansion. She was perfectly fine until she closed her eyes. Then she just fell to the ground in some sort of hyper sleep. Her brain seems to be rearranging its thoughts, its access baggage."  
  
"You mean like me?"  
  
"Yes, it's learning to control all of the personalities that have been floating around in there without structure for the longest time. Her mind is making room for something it seems. Her brain activity is uncharted. And that hair...."  
  
Logan looked closely. Rogue's hair seemed longer now that is was out of a ponytail. It was a new rich, silky brown than it had been before. The red shimmer was more noticeable in the light and the white streaks seem whiter.  
  
"How long to you think she'll be out?" Logan asked.  
  
"It's hard to say. Days, weeks, even months."  
  
"Will she be the same?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
*~*~*  
  
A month had passed. Quickly for some. Slowly for most. Bobby visited Rogue every day. Logan kept his distance.  
  
No one was there when she opened her eyes.  
  
She was in her pajamas and a new pair of gloves. Her long blood caked hair was clean. 'How odd.' she thought.  
  
She felt rested and fresh. She was back to her same old self, whatever her same old self was. Something was different though. She felt old. She had aged so much in such little time by going through what she did. It was frightening. Rogue felt her face expecting to find wrinkles. Nothing but youthfulness.  
  
Strange.  
  
She sat up taking the needles out of her arms. They attached her to the machines that helped nourish her and keep her alive. She didn't need them anymore.  
  
She gingerly got out of bed and walked to the door with a new bright, strengthened grace.  
  
Hanging on a hook by the door were Logan's dog tags and Bobby's ring. Somebody must have picked them up back at Magneto's hideout.  
  
She could only keep one of them, and it was clear which on that would be.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Logan was checking papers when the door to the classroom creaked open.  
  
"I heard you like to kiss dead girls."  
  
He looked up at the sound of that voice.  
  
There she stood as live as ever. She was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with black gloves and a black scarf. Her hair, he realized, came down to her waist. She looked too beautiful for words.  
  
"Yeah, well, they are the only ones I can seem to pick up."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
Logan stood up and walked around the desk, meeting her halfway across the room.  
  
He saw, as he got closer, that his dog tags hung lower than the scarf. She was still wearing his dog tags.  
  
"I never took these of when you were away." She said toying with the object of his glance, "They gave me strength, you know? But now they are useless. I have you."  
  
She grabbed his hands.  
  
"But Bobby....."  
  
"It didn't work out. He understood."  
  
Logan looked at her left ring finger.  
  
It was bare.  
  
He pulled her into a hug. He picked her up and swung her around. The whole moment was something that seemed to be out of one of those cheesy love movies that Logan had tried so hard to avoid. But he didn't care. He was so damn happy that he couldn't have cared less.  
  
The wait was over.  
  
She was his.  
  
He was hers.  
  
Logan put Marie down.  
  
"So you're teaching now?" she asked as if nothing romantic had happened and attempted to carry out a meaningful conversation. They headed to the exit hand in hand.  
  
"Subbing for you, actually. It's harder than it looks."  
  
The doors shut behind them and the unchecked tests lied in silence on the desk.  
  
A/N: WEEEE!!! Wasn't that fun boys and girls?? This puppy is almost done!! Just the epilogue and that is it!! Woo hoo!! That was a tearjerker; I'll have to admit. Oh that was such a sweet moment.  
  
Anyway. Check out the X2 novel. It is neat and it mentions REMY LEBEAU!!!! Go Gambit!! Also I finally made a Bobby/Rogue fic, if you want to check that out or not.  
  
Until next time. 


	18. Epilogue

"Marie!" Logan said trying to get the attention of his wife.  
  
They had only been married for a month and the words "husband" and "wife" still seemed foreign to him.  
  
Logan and Rogue had dated for two years before tying the knot. Logan was taught not to get attached to anything or anyone. The more you had to live for, the weaker you became. It was rule number one. Well, Rogue had taught him a new lesson: the more you had to live for, the more purposeful your life became. She had told him, after everything she'd been through, that the fact that she was loved, apart of a team, gave her hope. She had always known someone would come for her, that someone would save her.  
  
That someone was him.  
  
He'd saved her, in the beginning, when they had first met. Giving her a ride. A simple gesture that grew into a friendship that grew to be a relationship. The bond would continue to grow until the day they both died. That was something to live for.  
  
He saved her from Magneto. Saved her life by risking his own. A large part of him went into her, and she was the only person who understood him. She was the only one who didn't piss him off. That was something to live for.  
  
He saved her from Magneto, yet again, just two years ago, and that time he made sure the Magneto threat was eliminated. As a result he and Rogue fully realized how much they meant to each other and thus Logan's new and better life began. That was definitely something to live for.  
  
He lived for her. She lived for him. They were both each other's pillar of strength. Rogue still wore his dog tags though, after she claimed she didn't need them anymore. She even wore them on their wedding. She told him it was her "something old".  
  
That thought brought him back to the present and the task at hand.  
  
Rogue sat behind her desk highlighting something and looked up anxiously as he walked into the room.  
  
"Jean has news for us." He told her slowing down his pace as she walked up to meet him.  
  
"Of the good variety?" She asked raising her right eyebrow, a little trick that he taught her when they had way too much time on their hands.  
  
"Of the very good variety."  
  
"You mean we....?"  
  
"Let's go find out."  
  
*~*~*  
  
"What are you saying?" Rogue asked stunned at what she had just heard.  
  
"I am saying, Rogue, that you can have a baby. All we need to do is fertilize the egg outside of your body and then plant it in the womb at the right time and, well, you'll be pregnant." Jean explained.  
  
"And the baby wont get hurt....inside me?"  
  
"You mutant power only applies to you skin, not your internal organs. All we'll have to do is make sure that when you give birth, it doesn't touch your skin. That or we can go caesarean."  
  
Rogue didn't know what to say. She could have a baby. She could have a *baby*. She looked at Logan, right into his eyes. He wanted this just as much as she did. He squeezed her gloved hand giving her reassurance.  
  
"When can we start?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
They found out the news, a couple weeks later. The procedure went as smooth as it could have been and everything seemed to be in order. But it was this moment, this exact moment, in which they would know whether or not it had worked.  
  
Rogue paced, biting her nails, wringing her glove, doing anything that seemed like it would make the time go faster.  
  
Then the moment came.  
  
She almost couldn't look at it, afraid that it would be negative.  
  
Positive.  
  
She walked out of the bathroom at the awaiting crowd.  
  
"Positive." She stated, not fully believing it herself.  
  
Elyot Summers beat Logan to her and hugged first.  
  
"Are you going to have a baby, Auntie Rogue?" He asked standing on his tiptoes looking strangely at her stomach.  
  
"Yes, I am." She said as Logan stood behind her giving her a shoulder rub. Trying to act like he wasn't about to cry tears of joy. Not in front of everyone anyway. Maybe when he was alone.  
  
Elyot scrunched up his face and tilted his head trying to understand.  
  
"Now?" He asked.  
  
Jean laughed as she went up collected her child.  
  
"Not now, sweetie, later, around Christmas." She laughed as she picked up the squirming boy who was beginning to look more like Scott with each passing day.  
  
"Are you going to have a baby too, Mommy? Will Santa bring you one too?"  
  
Everyone laughed and Jean just ruffled his hair, not answering him.  
  
"Yeah, Jean? Will Santa bring us a baby?" Scott asked as he took over kid command and place his son on his shoulders.  
  
Jean gave him a look and then rolled her eyes. She wouldn't give him satisfaction of getting mad.  
  
"Maybe he'll bring triplets. All girls." She said in an overly vivacious tone.  
  
The smile died on Scott's face.  
  
"Sisters!" Elyot squealed in joy.  
  
Everyone just kept on laughing.  
  
"I think Santa will be just delivering Rogue's baby this year." Scott said admitting defeat.  
  
"Or not." Jubilee Drake said clutching her stomach.  
  
Rogue rushed over to Bobby's wife of one year and gave her a hug.  
  
"Ooh! This is going to be so much fun. We can take classes together, pig out together, and together put our husbands through hell." Jubilee exclaimed.  
  
The two girls laughed as Bobby and Logan walked over to each other.  
  
"What the hell did we just get ourselves into?" Logan asked him. 


	19. Author's Note

First of all, MANY thanks to all of you who have reviewed and have stuck with the story. It originally started out as a joke. My friend said that I couldn't write an X-Men story and dared me to write a first chapter. I myself did think I could do it, but I did. Then I posted it. Then you all liked it and I wrote more. Thanks again. You all make me smile.  
  
I know I want to write a sequel, and I know kinda where the story will go, but I have no clue as to how to start it. I know this is a lot to ask, but I really would like it if you all could send me suggestions by placing it in a review box. My e-mail is tweaky so don't send it there. Plus, my mom is freaked about the worm thing that's going around. (Did they catch that guy or what? I'm at loss in that department.)  
  
I know that Logan and Marie are going to have a daughter (I know her name and power, but as not to give EVERYTHING away, I wont tell you) and I know that her and Elyot are going to hook up. I don't know how, though. I would like to hear what you think Bobby and Jubilee's daughter's name and powers should be. I would also like to know how you think Elyot and L&M's daughter should meet. What do you want to have happen in the sequel? What should happen to all of the characters? Who should be my new villains since I killed off the already established ones? Do you think I should bring in Stryker or create a new evil mutant?  
  
I am very open to your suggestions and I do hope you help me out.  
  
I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I enjoyed typing that.  
  
Thanks again for all of the reviews and I hope the sequel will be as great as this fic.  
  
Minute Maid Apple Juice 


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